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Eleven Owen County 4-H teens took a trip to Perfect North Slopes for a day of play in the snow Jan. 29. Some tried their hand at skiing and some went tubing. The 4-H’ers who went skiing include (from left to right) Travis Hearne, Clayton Wilson, Morgan Walker, Courtney Waldrop, Olivia Karsner, Kenneth Bays, and Blake Wolford.Tackling the tubes together were (from left to right) Ashley Smith, Kaity Smith, Cortney Wainscott, Olivia Karsner, Kenneth Bays, Kylee Hearne, and Blake Wolford.

When Katie Ashcraft tripped in a manhole and wrenched her back during a visit to Knoxville last summer she anticipated going out of town to visit doctors and orthopedic specialists in order to regain full use of her leg.
But Ashcraft, of Owenton, soon learned that she could receive all the care and rehabilitation services she needed right here at home.
“I originally injured my back in high school doing gymnastics and cheerleading,” Ashcraft explained. “This summer, when I fell into a manhole, I aggravated the old injury and it required physical therapy.”

A team from Owen County High School participated in the “We the People … The Citizen and the Constitution” state competition that took place Jan. 24 in Lexington.
In competition, high school teams participate in mock congressional hearings that require them to use their understanding of constitutional principles to defend positions on historical and contemporary issues.

Mary Gamm and Paige Heuser, second-grade students at Owen County Primary School, each spent a day shadowing Principal Sharen Hubbard after winning the opportunity at the school’s annual silent auction at the fall festival. The girls made morning announcements, visited classrooms, conducted walk-throughs, and learned the “tricks of the trade.”

Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College has announced its dean’s list for the 2010 fall Semester.
Those Owen County students who were recognized include: Brittany McCormick, William Ohmer, Elizabeth Smith, Stephanie Sons, Shelby Ueltschi, Angela Wainscott and Shannon Walker.
The college recognizes academic excellence by naming to the dean’s list full-time students who have earned an overall semester grade point average of 3.5 or better in courses numbered 100 or above.

Have you noticed a sticky substance on the floor beneath your ficus or philodendron? Are there little scabs on the underside of the leaves of your orchid? Maybe you have noticed that your plants just look a little lackluster. Well, we can blame some plant puniness on being a tropical houseplant indoors in Kentuckiana during the winter.

One of the largest energy-using appliances in a household is the refrigerator. Appliances are designed to save time and money, but if an appliance is not energy efficient or is operated improperly, it could be wasting money.
Ensuring that you have an Energy Star-approved appliance is one solution; others are proper operation, location, and maintenance.
Following a few basic tips can reduce your refrigerator’s impact on your energy bills. For example, keep the refrigerator out of direct sunlight to reduce the energy it needs to keep the contents cool.

Crop insurance is a popular risk-management tool with farmers and agricultural policy makers.
Congress made crop insurance a major component of the safety net for farmers.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters.
NAP insurance insures crops RMA insurance does not cover.

Elizabeth Perkins, daughter of Daryl (Frog) and Ann Perkins of Owen County, was honored during the White Coat Ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville Jan. 8.
Karen Wash, a registered nurse from Owen County, was the medical professional selected by Perkins to present her coat, representative of her development as a pharmacy student.
Perkins is currently enrolled in the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and anticipates graduation in June 2013.
She is the granddaughter of Wilma Perkins and the late Harold J. Perkins and Carolyn Montague and the late Wallace Montague.

“It’s Sew Fine: for Home and Family” Sewing Expo will be held April 12-13 at General Butler State Resort Park in Carrollton.
The 2011 Sewing Expo schedule includes registration starting at 10 a.m. April 12 followed by “Make-it and Take-it” session of a patchwork name tag until noon.
On the opening afternoon, participants take a half-day class offering a variety of options including: “Old Blocks ... New Tricks,” “Working With Wool-Embroidery Envelope,” “Mastering Miters,” “Texture Magic,” and more.

Three Rivers District Health Department, in partnership with Hart Productions, will be displaying their 52-foot pink dragon boat at Cincinnati Travel, Sports, and Boat Show Jan. 14-23. Members of the Kentucky Thorough-Breast — the region’s first breast cancer survivor dragon boat racing team — will be on hand to explain dragon boat racing and the reasons why this sport is so beneficial to breast cancer survivors.

Owen County was well represented in the Jefferson Community and Technical College Carrollton Campus practical nursing program’s class of 2010. Fifty percent of the students are Owen County residents. Pictured are (back row, left to right): Brad Jacobs, Brittany Carter, Darlene Callis, Katrina Lipe, Kayla Perry and Robin Pierson; (front row, left to right): Davee Aldridge, Brittany Smith, Laura Case and Samantha Smith. Jacobs, Pierson, Case, Smith, and Perry are Owen County residents.

After serving 10 years as Owenton’s mayor, David “Milkweed” Wotier has closed one door of his life, but expects many others to open in the future.
Wotier began his service with the city of Owenton as a council member 15 years ago. He served two terms as a councilman.
In 2000, Wotier was appointed to mayorship after former mayor K.F. Ballard Jr. died.
Wotier said he thinks some have forgotten what he believes to be his biggest accomplishment during his time as mayor.

EDITOR NOTE: If you would like to be featured in “On the Road with the News-Herald,” submit a photo of you somewhere outside of Owen County with a copy of the News-Herald to jwhitlock@owentonnewsherald.com

Christmas 2010 is over, in fact 2010 is almost over.
It’s been a good year, if you’ve lived through it without accident, illness, or financial loss. When you get to my age, just to have lived through is a blessing.

They came armed with their notebooks and a plethora of thoughtful questions. Owen Electric Cooperative ended its work week with some very special representatives of Owen County Primary School (OCPS) — the Primary Leadership group.

The John Guill Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution met at the home of Peggy Trinkle Dec. 11 where they enjoyed a Christmas cookie exchange.
Each member brought cookies to exchange with the other members. Members also brought designated items for a baby gift pack for NSDAR’s project for pregnant veterans to show our appreciation of their service to our country.

Jake Rider, a student at Owen County High School, will be one of 130 featured young people preaching at the second annual Festival of Young Preachers in Louisville Jan. 6-8.
The National Festival of Young Preachers is hosted by the Academy of Preachers, an initiative underwritten by the Lilly Endowment. It offers young preachers from all denominations an opportunity to preach before an audience of family, friends and other guests.

Everyone is potentially at risk during winter storms. Most fatalities are indirectly related to the storm. People die from traffic accidents on icy roads, heart attacks while shoveling snow, and hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold and unsafe residential conditions.
According to Owen County EM Director Rick Morgan, you should be prepared for winter weather by listening to NOAA weather radio or commercial radio/television to stay informed about winter storm watches, warnings and advisories.

Winter has come early this year. We had 4 inches of snow on the Branch this weekend. The DirecTV dish was covered with snow and I had no service on the TV sets except the antenna for most of the day Saturday. The Internet service went out, too, so I had to communicate the old-fashioned way, via phone for about 24 hours.

I was decorating the house all week for Christmas and trying to finish Saturday, so I really didn’t miss it much.